By Brian McCready
Milford Bureau Chief
MILFORD — The enumeration study is over, and the Board of Education will look at data in July that may lead to redistricting of some city students.
The school board has been discussing the need for redistricting for almost two years; last year, it began a study to determine how many school-age children live in the district.
The district’s strategic school profile for 2006-07 shows an enrollment of 7,504 students.
But during the review process, administrators learned that temporarily moving about 100 Mathewson School kindergartners to Pumpkin Delight School had reduced the urgency to redistrict.
The school board decided to extend the temporary solution another year.
Also, administrators have declared that there will be no redistricting next school year.
Deputy Superintendent of Operations Philip G. Russell said the district has reached the "end point" in asking the public to return the census cards.
Overall, 70 percent of households returned the cards, and 91 percent of people had school-age children.
Russell said a consultant may not be needed, as expected, because the district projects, based on an initial review of the data, that there will be a 4 percent drop in the number of births over the next four years.
He said overall student enrollment is expected to drop.
Russell, however, cautioned that the data does not take into consideration families moving into the district.
But Superintendent of Schools Harvey B. Polansky noted, "When we met with the town planner, he said it’s a very stable housing market."
Polansky told school board members they will receive the full study findings in July, though no specific redistricting proposals will be discussed.
The board will have to decide what to do, Polansky said.
School board member Pamela Staneski, R-5, questioned whether the data could show enrollment is stable in certain areas of the city, or some neighborhoods saw a large spike.
Russell said the only issue is that when the economy is in flux, more children return to the district from private schools.
School board Chairman David Hourigan, D-4, said that while enrollment seems to be stable, that doesn’t mean all neighborhoods are the same.
"Maybe we need to make some adjustments," Hourigan said.
He said one thing was certain: The temporary solution of sending Mathewson kindergartners to Pumpkin Delight has "worked out very well."